Waiting for the Last Minute

I intended on posting this last week and now here I am rushing to get it done. Once again, I’ve waited till the last minute.

For my job, all of my paperwork is due on the first of the month. So I recently found myself scrambling to get it all done just a few days before. My back was aching from sitting at the computer for many hours. My eyes felt strained from staring at the computer without taking breaks.

I waited until the list minute to get it all done. Again.

If you ever watch the show The Middle, you’ll find that the children are notorious for telling their parents that a school project is due the day before they have to hand it in. I cringe when I watch because I remember doing this myself when I was a kid. It led to stress and anxiety. If I only I had done a little bit every day. You’d think I learned by now. Shouldn’t we all have learned by now?

Many of us live our lives waiting for the last minute to get things done. Why is that? We dread the work we have to do. We obsess over all the time and effort that must go into things to get them done. Because we dread it, we keep putting it off until we have absolutely no other choice but to finish it. It could be a project for work, an assignment for school, a bill that must be paid, a doctors appointment, the inspection for your car and so much more.

This month, I’ve been trying, really trying to stay on top of things. To do my paperwork a little bit everyday. To get my costumes and accessories together a few days before my dance performance. To fill my gas tank at the halfway mark instead of waiting for it to reach empty.

These are my plans but I know that there will be days I won’t meet my goals. There will still be days that I rush. There will be days where I don’t get things done. It happens to all of us. It’s okay. If I do nothing else, I will at least begin my day with a deep breath. I will begin each task with a smile. I’ll be thankful for all the time I have to do the things I need to do.